At Demon's Gate
by SkyFlashRika96
Summary: After a night of soul-reaping, demon lord Yoruichi chances upon a young Soi, who strongly believes that her destiny can be fulfilled by following Yoruichi. The Shihōin heiress decides to take Soi in, only to leave behind her demon heritage ten years later, abandoning her protege in the process. When Yoruichi returns, Soi is in a dilemma - to take revenge or to follow her heart.
1. Chapter 1

**At The Gate Prologue: That Unwavering Gaze**

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**Disclaimer: **I do **not **own Bleach or any of its characters.

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Boot-clad footsteps echoed eerily throughout the silent village. A cloaked figure surveyed her surroundings carefully, considering every crook and cranny of the blood-soaked street with suspicion. To her, this was harvesting ground, to reap the pathetic souls that were caught in the massacre her lower demons had set upon the targeted village inhabitants. She grinned at the broken bodies, "Thus the village of Himura lives up to its name."

There was tiny patter of feet behind the gloating woman. She spun around, golden orbs trying to detect a potential enemy. Her searching gaze landed on a child, no more than six, and her hardened, cruel features softened a little. The demon lord continued to observe the little girl who stood no higher than her waist.

The poverty-ridden child stared up at the figure towering over her, "You're a demon lord." It was not a question, rather, a statement that was true.

If Shihōin Yoruichi was surprised at the girl's courage, it showed in her slightly widened golden eyes. But her bewilderment dissipated in the fraction of a second as she smiled darkly and picked the girl up by the scruff of her torn shirt, "Yes, indeed I am. Do you not know that your little life is at my mercy?"

The child did not answer; instead, she chose to stare back into golden depths. Her gaze never wavered, despite the obvious risk of having her head lopped off while she remained two feet above ground.

Yoruichi marvelled at the lack of fear in the child, "You're an interesting one, kid. What's your name?"

"Soi Fon," misty grey eyes seemed to smile with relief that the demon lord seemed more interested in knowing her name rather than thinking of ways to dispose of her. As a strange peace flooded her, Soi couldn't help but display her curiosity, "What's yours?"

"I'm Yoruichi. Shihōin Yoruichi," the purple-haired demon royalty put the girl back down on the ground, "What a sad name for a fearless child like you, Soi… Fon."

"I am honored, Shihōin-_denka_," Soi bowed, applying the deeply-ingrained value of respect that her family had taught her rather strictly.

"Oh, quit it with all that formality!" Yoruichi couldn't help but sigh heavily in annoyance, "That title is such a stick in the ass! If you don't drop it, I'm gonna feed you to my hellhounds."

"I-I apologize, Shihōi- I m-mean Yoruichi...sama," the threat seemed to startle Soi, though she had a feeling that the demon lord was just teasing her.

"Grrr... How did you get so uptight?!" Yoruichi growled, facepalming before looking at the child in the eye, "Anyway, did your parents pick that name for you?"

"Y-Yes, they did."

"Geez, they have such poor taste - giving a child like you such a depressing name," the heiress remarked, "Your family must've been cruel."

Soi flinched slightly, her face forming an unreadable expression.

"What, did I say something wrong?" Yoruichi raised a brow curiously.

"They... They weren't cruel, Yoruichi-sama," Soi defended her family faithfully, "We just trust the stars more than any other clan, I suppose."

"What do you mean?"

Soi took a deep breath before explaining her clan's tradition in a detailed manner, "The Fon family has always relied on the positions of stars in the night sky to provide each clan member their fates, their destinies. I was to change my name to my grandmother's, for her name symbolized the sole purpose of my life - to be broken, and then strengthened by suffering."

"Uh..." the demon lord found it hard to keep up with the child she had recently acquainted with, "I get it, but... How are you gonna fulfill this 'destiny' of yours?"

At her question, Soi looked back up into Yoruichi's golden eyes, "Take me with you, Yoruichi-sama."

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**A/N:** Well, that's the prologue, so it's quite natural that it's short. Chapter 1 is in the making so please be patient with me! You may be wondering where Soi's family is, but I'm gonna keep that a secret until the later chapters ;) I suppose both of them are a little OC (to me, really), I'm not sure if you feel the same way too. Do review if you enjoyed the teeny-weeny peek of the plot, or have some constructive criticism to offer (I'd really like to give you guys a shout-out!). I really appreciate it :D You may be wondering why Soi can be so articulate for her age, so here's my view on this: I've always seen her family as an extremely traditional and strict one, and coupled with her intelligence (I'd like to believe she is, and I didn't actually appreciate Tite Kubo's portrayal of her - it's as if like she's dumb or something. If she is able to strategically defeat a number of Onmitsukido men, memorizing and reciting all that family tradition at six years old shouldn't be that tough.) Yoruichi seems to loosen up unbelievably quickly in the prologue, I'd just like to say that's the effect Soi has on her.

That's all for today, guys! See you in the next chapter!

P.S. If you're wondering what -_denka_ means, it's a formal title for princess, if I recall correctly. It might work for a prince too, I guess. I...don't know, actually -.-lll

_SkyFlashRika96_


	2. Chapter 2

**At Demon's Gate Chapter 1: Human in Appearance, Demon at Heart**

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**Disclaimer:** I do** not **own Bleach or any of its characters.

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Golden orbs widened in genuine shock as the demon lord continued to stare incredulously at the girl, "What?!" Though her voice came out harsher than she had intended, Yoruichi went on, "You're only a human child, so shouldn't you be running around with kids your age? Why follow a demon lord?"

"I believe the answer would be in your personal library, Yoruichi-san," a calm, baritone voice answered intercepted, "It would do you some good if you at least knew which lower houses serve yours."

"Kisuke," Yoruichi grounded out, without turning to face her best friend, "For all I know; only demons serve my family, not humans."

"That's where you're wrong," the said man pointed out, ignoring the sharpness of the heiress' tone, "Soi here, is of the Fon clan, which is the only exception of those who serve the Shihōin house."

Soi, throughout the intense conversation between the two demons, chose to keep her head low and allow the blonde to explain things clearly to the demon lord; even there was a limit to her articulation, being a child and all.

Sensing that her best friend had more to add on, Yoruichi narrowed her eyes and focused on what he had to say next, "Go on."

"The Fon family is not entirely as human as you think," Kisuke smiled as he noticed Yoruichi's confusion dancing on her face and Soi snapping her head up to look at him, "They have demon blood in them too, since the creation of ties between the Shihōin heir and the Fon heiress three centuries ago. Since then, the Fon clan has been subservient to the Shihōin house. Are you following well so far, the two of you?"

"I-I don't get i-it…" slate-grey eyes clouded with doubt, "F-Father would've told me…"

"It is your family tradition for each child to choose who they want to be, unaffected by any interference," Kisuke smiled sympathetically, "The only way to do that was to put you in a normal human environment and see which identity you would abandon, and which one you would keep. Isn't that so, Fon-san?"

At this, Yoruichi swivelled her head to see a hunched figure step out from the shadows, "You're…"

"Yes, Shihōin-denka, it is me, Jian," the rough, familiar voice of her father's ex-bodyguard greeted her.

"Remember him now, Yoruichi-san?" Kisuke asked, poking his unmoving friend, "I can't be sure if you do, since you've not met for what, a hundred and seventy-six years?"

"How can you still be alive?"

"I have demon blood, Shihōin-denka," Jian explained as he gestured for his kneeling daughter to get up, "I can live much longer than a human, though not as long as a pure demon as yourself."

"So you left the Demon World, to settle here?" Yoruichi didn't know if she felt angry or relieved to see her most faithful bodyguard again; after all, it was a little insulting to her that he would choose to abandon his duty to her family, all for the life of an ordinary human.

"I believe that now is not the time to discuss my past decisions, Shihōin-denka," though he had left behind the life of the Shihōin Head's servant, he had retained the manner in which he had spoken to the Princess as before, "Since my daughter has chosen to live the life of an _akuma_, please allow her to follow you and to serve you, like I did your father."

At the mention of the child she had encountered a while ago, the demon lord cast a side glance at the said girl. She was instantly mesmerized by solid determination in Soi's gleaming silver eyes, though she was still in a posture of humility – her body hunched and her shoulders sagged in a submissive manner.

"Hey you," the purple-haired woman's voice snapped Soi out of her thoughts, "I expect those who serve me to carry themselves with confidence, you know? You look really weak like that."

Yoruichi moved over to the young girl in two quick strides and placed her palm flat on the Soi's back. Gripping the child's shoulder firmly with her other hand, she straightened the stiff girl's back. She smirked approvingly as Soi stuck to her newly-corrected posture, the child blushing slightly upon contact with her new Master.

"You'll serve me from now on, Soi Fon," Yoruichi's golden eyes shone brightly in the darkness of the night, "Don't you disappoint me."

"Y-Yes, Yoruichi-sama."

"I never thought I'd see the day a Fon lives to serve the Shihōin house again," Jian remarked, "Indeed, I never expected that my small, timid daughter would choose to be an _akuma_, while her brothers live the sheltered, comfortable lives of humans. It is an honor for you, Soi."

Soi blushed as she caught a glimpse of amusement in Yoruichi's eyes when her father had revealed her to be a shy child. She shifted a little closer to Kisuke, quite determined in hiding her face, seeing as it would be no use hiding behind Yoruichi.

"Well, I guess we should get going," the demon lord couldn't help but feel irked that Soi moved closer to Kisuke, "The faster Soi Fon is acclimatized to life in the Demon World, the better."

Kisuke nodded in acknowledgement, taking her cue to open the gate that would lead them back to their destination.

Soi took one last look at the man who had cared for her and her brothers single-handedly for the past six years of her life, and waved at him, "Goodbye, father."

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A/N: That's Chapter 1, folks! Hope you enjoyed how the story has unraveled so far, there's more to come ;) I believe this left some of you questioning the potential plotholes or mystery in the fic, but don't worry! The future chapters should be able to explain many of your questions, so wait for them! But if you do have any pressing questions, you can place them in your reviews or PM me, I'd love that :) Please please please leave more reviews!

P.S. _Akuma_ is Japanese for demon. Just so you know ;)

That's all for today, guys! See you in the next chapter!

_SkyFlashRika96_


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